Our Dear Harry
by Mico-chan
Summary: “What’s wrong, James?” He bites his lip, then walks forward and wraps me and the baby in a tight hug. “James… are you crying?…” His tears run onto my neck as he holds me closer. Realisation hits me then. “We’re going to die…aren’t we…?”


**A/N:** This starts at the end of James and Lily's 6th year!!!!

**Our Dear Harry… **

If anything, the people I hate are those who break the rules and skip class, but get better grades than people who take their studies seriously. There's a limit to how much someone can goof off.

"Hey, Lily! You going on holiday with your family this summer?" called a voice.

I looked around, but couldn't see anyone. "James Potter, where are you? Come out here right now! I've been sent to look for you!"

"Hmmm," said a voice above me. "And why were you looking for me?"

I looked up to see James sitting in a tree, a book open on his lap.

I frowned. "You skipped Transfiguration again. Professor McGonnagol got angry and asked me to go get you!"

"Big whoop," said James, closing his book and stuffing it in his bag. He swung his legs over the branch and jumped down to the ground.

"Careful, you idiot!" I said. "That's dangerous!"

James stood up, grinning from ear to ear. "My apologies for making you come all the way out here," he said, taking a small bow. "I'll return to the classroom at once."

I wasn't listening. "W… what would you have done if you'd been hurt jumping out that tree?! You're Gryffindor's Chaser, for god's sake!"

James stepped closer so his face was right in front of mine. "Anyway, Lily, if you're going on a trip with your family, I'd recommend Aberdeen over Haworth."

I looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

James smiled and started making his way back to the castle.

"Why should I have to listen to you spouting off about my family's trips?" I asked, walking behind him. "If you have time to meddle in other people's trips, then worry about your classes! No matter how good your grades are, if you keep on goofing off you won't be able to pass."

"As you say," said James, in an infuriating sing-song voice. Suddenly, he stopped walking and half turned round to look at me, his expression unreadable. "Say, Lily… You shouldn't go to Haworth. Really…" He turned back around and started walking again.

_How did he know?…_ I wondered.

It had been decided half a year earlier that me and my family would go to Haworth for the summer. The parent's of one of my sister's friends have a property there, with a big hotel nearby, which they own. They'd invited is to stay there for the summer. My sister, Petunia, was really looking forward to it, which quite a bunch of her friends had been invited on too. There's no way to change the plans now (even given my "wizard friend told me not to go").

"How long are you going to sulk, Petunia?" asked my mother. "What choice do we have?"

We were driving to Aberdeen. There had been a change of plan as my Great Aunt had suddenly fallen ill. We were going to take care of her.

"But… I'm supposed to be going on a trip with Holly, Jessica and the others…" huffed Petunia, her arms folded and her bottom lip jutting out in the mother of all pouts.

"We have to at least take care of your Great Aunt during the summer holidays," said my father, glancing at Petunia in the mirror. "You'll be able to go to Haworth next summer."

"But I wanted to go with all my friends!" said Petunia, her voice getting a sharp edge.

I heard the news come on the radio. I listened to see if anything interesting had happened.

_"And now, breaking news: In the Chesterfield area, a train has derailed."_ said the news reporter. _"A limited express train headed to New Yorkshire derailed after passing through Chesterfield. The railroad cars flipped over, resulting in a large number of casualties…"_

I sat up straight. Had I heard that right? No…surely I'd heard wrong…

"Hey, Dad…" I said, sitting forward. "Isn't that the train we were going to take?"

"Uh, yeah…" murmured her father, looking shocked.

"NO WAY!" I yelled, sitting back, hands over my mouth.

"No…" muttered Petunia. "But…everyone was on that train. Holly, Jessica…and everyone… IT CAN'T BE TRUE!!!"

It was a terrible accident. The car we would have been riding in fell to the bottom of a steep hill and was seriously damaged. Two hundred and fifty six people, including my sister's friends and their families, had died. It was truly only by coincidence that we were saved from the same fate.

I'm now back at Hogwarts for my seventh year, and I made Head Girl. I gazed across the lake and sighed. The wind blew by my hair away from my face.

"Skipping class so soon into the new semester?" said a voice from behind me.

I looked up to see James Potter looking down at me. He smiled.

"We're on the same wave-length," he laughed.

"…I'm not skipping…" I muttered.

"Well, then," said James, brandishing a fishing rod and sitting down beside me. "Will I catch the Giant Squid today? I managed to get one of its legs before summer, but it got away."

I looked at him carefully. What he had said to me about Aberdeen and Haworth came flooding back. I tilted my head to the side.

"Say, can you see the future?" I asked.

James gave a small laugh. "No way," he said.

I looked away from him and across the lake. "Was I supposed to die?"

James stopped what he was doing and looked across the lake too. "Dunno…" he admitted. "I just…had a feeling that something bad would happen if you went to Haworth."

I looked at him again. "James… could it be that you -"

"Hmm, Lily!"

I raised an eyebrow at him, taking in his broad smile.

"Did you just call me James?" he asked, smiling brighter. "That's the first time you've called me by my first name! Ha! What sort of change of heart is this?!"

I gave a muffled yell of frustration. What was the point of trying to have a civil conversation with this boy? I pulled the back of his robes over his head and stormed off.

"Fine!" I yelled. "I was an idiot to try and have a serious conversation with you!"

James tried to pull his robs back from over his head, but only succeeded to get more stuck. "Huh? I can't see! Where are you going, Lily? What were you trying to say?"

"Shut up! Go away!" I yelled back at him.

"Lily!!"

Some wizards possess special talents. The talents of being a Parselmouth, of changing their appearance at will, and being able to see the future, having the second sight, are said to be especially rare.

I thought that maybe James Potter might have the second sight. But it wasn't until much, much later that I found out he really did, in a way… James and his friends were better than anyone else at keeping secrets. I, on the other hand, had a worry that I couldn't discuss with anyone at Hogwarts, and it took all I had to keep it a secret.

After that summer, my sister, who wrote frequently before, stopped sending letters. Because we weren't in the accident. Because I was a witch. Much, much later, when I found out how my sister, being a Muggle, had felt, a gulf had already formed between us. One that I could no longer hope to fix. Because I was a witch, my sister bore a deep wound in her heart, one that would never heal.

I'm lying beneath the Beech tree next to the lake, a letter clutched in my hand. Mum was in hospital. I'd thought she'd looked a little bit thinner during the summer. I hoped she'd be alright. Dad had sounded upset about it in the letter. Dad can't do anything without Mum around. I wished I could talk to Petunia about it, but even if I wrote to her, she'd never write back…

A song. Someone's singing it. It's a lullaby that Mum used to sing a lot. But, who could be singing it… I closed my eyes.

Something hot and wet running down my face woke me up. I sit up slightly and touch my face.

"You had a dream so sad it made you cry?" said the voice of James Potter.

I sit bolt upright. And, sure enough, there he is, sitting next to me with a book on his lap.

"Cry?!" I say, wiping my eyes. "You're right! Why am I crying?! Or, more importantly, when did I fall asleep?!"

_Someone saw me crying…_ I thought. _And of all people it had to be James Potter…_

"You all right?" asked James, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I shrug his hand off. "Isn't it obvious I am?"

James paused for a second, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled. "Yeah," he said. "I'm glad you are…"

I look at him as he turns back to the lake. "…By the way, why are you here?" I ask.

"I decided not to go to class and came out here to read, and you were here, sleeping," he said, turning back to me.

I look at my watch and jump to my feet immediately. "WHAT?!?! It's time for afternoon classes!! Why didn't you wake me up, you idiot?!"

James shrugged. "You looked peaceful lying there."

_**Three Years Later…**_

"Is Harry up?"

I turn round to see James walking into the nursery. Our baby boy asleep in my arms.

"I was just going to put him to bed now," I say.

James looks at the floor and sniffs like he's about to start crying.

"What's wrong, James?"

He bites his lip, then walks forward and wraps me and the baby in a tight hug.

"James… are you crying?…"

His tears run onto my neck as he holds me closer. Realisation hits me then.

"We're going to die…aren't we…?"

James just cries harder.

…_"Lily! Take Harry and go!"…_

It was then that I realised. The visions of the future that James Potter had, were of the deaths of those close to him or those his loved ones knew.

I'm sure that the ones fated to die that night were _you_ and _I_, but your father tried to help us get away. He tried to protect you and I. He sacrificed himself. Don't forget that… our dear Harry…


End file.
